Emma Stevens facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Emma Stevens
Stevens in 2014
Background information
Birth name	Emma Nadine Stevens
Born	(1986-05-04) 4 May 1986 (age 39) Guildford, Surrey, England
Genres	Pop country folk
Occupations	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals guitar ukulele mandolin banjo piano cello Bass
Years active	2008–present
Labels	Emma Stevens Music Ltd Rising Tide Music Soft Rock Records Bright Star Records

Emma Nadine Stevens (born May 4, 1986) is a talented singer and songwriter from Guildford, England. She became well-known with her song "Riptide" from her first album, Enchanted. This song was chosen as the iTunes Single of the Week in October 2013 and was downloaded over 150,000 times. Emma describes her music as "sparkly folk pop."

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Emma Stevens was born in Guildford, England, to Toby and Tina Stevens. She has a younger sister named Ellen. Emma grew up in Shalford, a village near Guildford, until she was 17. She went to Shalford First School and later studied music at St Peter's in Merrow.

Emma's musical journey started very early. She watched her mom play Spanish guitar when she was only two or three years old. Her parents noticed her talent and started her on cello and piano lessons when she was six. She even joined the Surrey Youth Orchestra. By age 10, she was taking orchestra and piano lessons at Charterhouse. She also attended stage school in 1999. Emma began writing songs around age 12 or 13, especially after she started playing the guitar properly. She would write melodies on the piano and combine them with poetry. She even had a poem published in a national competition!

Emma's first time performing on stage was at 13 in Guildford. She remembers being scared but loving the feeling of singing her own songs.

From 2006 to 2007, Emma studied at the Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM). She earned a diploma in Guitar and Contemporary Performance. This is also where she met Sam Whiting, who would become her guitarist.

Starting Her Music Career

While still at ACM, Emma formed a duo called Wildstar with her friend Charlotte "Charlie" Hewson. They played acoustic pop songs. After graduating, Emma worked as a session musician, playing guitar and piano for different groups. She also started working with other writers.

In 2009, she helped write songs for Andrew Muir's debut album. Andrew Muir was a finalist on Britain's Got Talent. Soon after, in 2010, Emma wrote a song called "Wowowow" for the Korean boy-band SHINee. This song appeared on their album Lucifer and sold 100,000 copies in its first week!

Emma also toured Europe in 2010 with a band called Shooting Lead Rabbits. She sang backing vocals on some of their songs. During songwriting sessions in Los Angeles, a writer named Charlie Midnight encouraged Emma to think about a solo career.

Emma has worked with many other talented writers and musicians. In 2011, she toured with the British rock band Fin. They supported big bands like Incubus and The Kooks, often playing for crowds of 20,000 people.

Becoming a Solo Artist

2012–2014: Enchanted Album Success

In early 2012, Emma's mother was diagnosed with cancer. Her mother, along with Charlie Midnight, strongly encouraged Emma to start her solo career. Emma's mother was her biggest supporter. Just two weeks before her mother passed away on March 26, 2012, they decided that Emma's first album would be released as four separate EPs (mini-albums). Emma's mother even designed the cover artwork for these EPs. When put together, the four pieces formed the full cover for the album, Enchanted.

In November 2011, Emma started working with songwriter and producer Pete Woodroffe. He helped write 14 songs and produced all four EPs and the album. Emma has called Woodroffe her "Ultimate Hero."

In August 2012, Emma was featured on the BBC Introducing series, which helps new artists. She performed live on air with her band. Her first single, "A Place Called You," was released on October 28, 2012. It was first played nationally on BBC Radio 2's Weekend Wogan show. This song became very popular, with over 3 million streams on Spotify.

Emma toured a lot in 2012 to promote her Heart on Hand EP. In 2013, she worked with English folk-rock singer-songwriter Passenger on a song called "I'll Be Your Man."

Terry Wogan continued to support Emma's music on BBC Radio 2. She performed her next single, "Once," live on his show in March 2013. "Once" was then added to the BBC Radio 2 playlist. Later, "A Place Called You" was re-released and also added to the BBC Radio 2 playlist.

Chris Evans, a BBC Radio 2 Breakfast presenter, also supported Emma. She performed "A Place Called You" live on his show in August 2013. Chris Evans even invited her to play at his Carfest festival, which raises money for the BBC Children in Need charity.

Emma's debut album was finished in September 2013. The final EP, Sunflower, was released in October 2013. It included the third single "Riptide" and the song "Sunflower." Emma wrote "Sunflower" about coping with the loss of her mother. She said her mom used to grow sunflowers, and writing the song helped her through her grief. Both "Riptide" and "Sunflower" were written very quickly. "Riptide" was playlisted by BBC Radio 2 and became iTunes Single of the Week in several countries.

Instead of signing with a major record label, Emma decided to release Enchanted herself.

2014–2017: Waves and To My Roots Albums

In 2014, Emma worked with Pete Woodroffe again on her second album, Waves. The first single, "Make My Day," was released in August 2014 and was also playlisted by BBC Radio 2. Waves was released in November 2014.

In August 2015, a deluxe edition of Waves was released with extra songs. One of these new songs, "Never Gonna Change," was released as a single.

During the summer of 2015, Emma spent a month in Nashville, USA. She worked with musicians and songwriters to prepare for her third album, To My Roots. This was her first album that she produced herself. It included songs co-written with Charlie Midnight and Pete Woodroffe. To My Roots was released in July 2017.

In April 2017, Emma was part of the UK national jury for the Eurovision Song Contest.

2017–Present: Christmas, Atoms, and Light Year Albums

In November 2017, Emma released Christmas, an EP with four festive songs. It included covers of "Stay Another Day" and "Somewhere Only We Know."

Emma's song "A Place Called You" became very popular in China. It was featured on a Chinese TV show called Where Are We Going Dad?, which had 75 million viewers! In April 2019, a new song called "The Cappuccino Song" was released in China to go along with Emma's seven-city tour there. This song was also on an album called A Place Called You, which was a collection of her greatest hits released only in China.

In 2018, Emma worked with writers like Charlie Midnight and Kevin Jeremiah from the band The Feeling. This led to a five-song EP called Atoms, released in May 2019. The main single, "Because It's You," is a duet with Kevin Jeremiah. The title track, "Atoms," was later remixed and released as a second single.

Emma's fourth studio album, Light Year, was released on April 30, 2021. Before the album, she released several singles, including "Jump In," "Forever," and "Keep Dreaming."

Two more singles, "The Longing" (released October 29, 2021) and "Love Revolution" (released June 3, 2022), show a new, more rock-focused sound for her upcoming fifth album.

Personal Life

Emma Stevens still lives in the Guildford area. Besides music, she loves surfing and the sea. Emma married her long-time boyfriend, Sam Rommer, at Croyde Bay in July 2022.

Discography

EPs

• Heart on Hand (2012)
• Dreaming Trees (2013)
• Underwater (2013)
• Sunflower (2013)
• Christmas (2017)
• Atoms (2019)

Albums

• Enchanted (2013)
• Waves (2014)
• Waves (Deluxe Edition) (2015)
• To My Roots (2017)
• Light Year (2021)

Singles

• "A Place Called You" (October 2012)
• "Once" (March 2013)
• "Riptide" (October 2013)
• "Make My Day" (August 2014)
• "Gold Rush" (November 2014)
• "Never Gonna Change" (June 2015)
• "Sing Out (Hey La Hey Lo)" (June 2017)
• "To My Roots" (August 2017)
• "Because It's You" (May 2019)
• "Atoms" (November 2019)
• "Jump In" (September 2020)
• "Forever" (October 2020)
• "The Rain Fell on Haikou" (November 2020)
• "Keep Dreaming" (December 2020)
• "On a Day Like Today" (January 2021)
• "The Grass Is Always Greener" (February 2021)
• "The Longing" (October 2021)
• "Love Revolution" (June 2022)